Washington and Beijing too, are expanding their navies on the world’s second largest ocean
“Will for Peace 2026”, the first joint military and naval manoeuvres of the BRICS plus countries, under the leadership of China and with the conspicuous absence of India, took place these days (January 10-16) in the territorial waters of the Republic of South Africa (JAR), not far from Cape Town. More precisely, on the Atlantic, near Simon’s Town (on the photo), where the country’s largest military base is located.
“Will for Peace 2026” represents a “strategic evolution of the previous iterations,” a Chinese navy official announced during the opening ceremony of the exercises in Simon’s Town. (https://defenceweb.co.za/sea/sea-sea/brics-plus-navies-commence-exercise-off-south-african-coast-amid-controversy).
As a reminder, “Mossi III”, a joint naval exercise between China, Russia and the Republic of South Africa, earlier announced for November last year, was cancelled at the beginning of last fall, so as not to “collide” with the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg. (https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-04-sandf-backs-off-from-contentious-joint-military-exercise-with-russia-and-china).
As is well known, the US boycotted that meeting—due to Washington’s harsh criticism of the government of South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa. Taking over the presidency of the G20, US President Donald Trump announced, at the beginning of last December, that the Republic of South Africa will be excluded from the group’s work for the next 12 months—until the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami. (https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/26/politics/trump-administration-not-planning-invite-south-africa-g20).
Soon after, the Republic of South Africa, one of the founders of both the G20 and BRICS, announced that it will host the “Will for Peace 2026” naval manoeuvres, starting just three days after US Navy warships—with the support of Great Britain’s army forces—seized the empty Russian-flagged Marinera tanker in the North Atlantic, about 325 kilometres from Iceland. (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-seizing-venezuela-linked-oil-tanker-after-weeks-long-pursuit-2026-01-07/).
Little later, a series of warships from the navies of the Republic of South Africa, China, Russia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates gathered in Simon’s Town (Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Brazil joined “Will for Peace 2026” as observers). And while the UAE corvette remained anchored in Simon’s Town, most of the active participants in the manoeuvres sailed on January 13 – after a series of joint sports and other events in Simon’s Town port – not far from the elevation where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic meet, for elaborated joint exercises. (The status of Iran’s naval participation is a subject of ongoing controversy).( https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-12-iran-pulls-out-of-sas-joint-naval-exercise-amid-political-tensions/).
“In an increasingly complex maritime environment, this kind of cooperation is not an option, but a necessity. It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” announced Captain Nndwakulu Thomas Thamaha, Commander of the South African Joint Task Force. According to Captain Thamaha, the goal of “Will for Peace 2026” is to “ensure the security of shipping routes and maritime economic activities.”
In this case, the “sea route” around the Cape of Good Hope became – during the two-year armed actions of the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah on the approaches to the Red Sea – a forced alternative for the significant number of ships of the world merchant navy.
Official Pretoria did not specify from whom merchant ships should be protected in the passage around the extreme south of Africa.
“We hope that this joint exercise will become more and more powerful and more prosperous… developing and advancing in a more pragmatic and thorough direction that better suits the needs of the times,” announced a representative of the Chinese navy during the opening ceremony of “Will for Peace 2026”.
By the way, for the role of leading the first BRICS plus naval manoeuvres in the Atlantic, from the Gulf of Aden (Yemen) zone, China sent the type 052DL missile destroyer Tangshan (122) and the type 903A supply ship Taihu (889) to the territorial waters of the Republic of South Africa.
